MU men qualify for the NECs despite losing to Quinnipiac

MU will finish, 8th, seventh, or sixth depending on Saturday results – it means it will play at RMU, Q Pac, or the Mount Thursday

Some deteails on FDU win at bottom..SHU blows 19-point lead..

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER\

HAMDEN CONN. — The Northeast Conference Tournament playoff hopes of the Monmouth University men’s basketball team won’t go down to the wire after all.

Monmouth, which fell meekly, 82-63, Thursday night to Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center, backed into the NEC Tournament when Sacred Heart lost in overtime to Fairleigh Dickinson.

“Well, that was one our goals (to qualify for the NECs),” Monmouth coach Dave Calloway said.

“We’ve got a lot of improvement to do between now and Saturday and before the NEC Tournament.”

Monmouth hosts Sacred Heart Saturday in the regular season finale.

The Hawks’ playoff chances had been decided in their final games the last three seasons when they failed to qualified for the NECs twice.

Thursday, Monmouth (12-17, 8-9) was led by Travis Taylor’s 20 points and seven rebounds. Will Campbell had eight of his 11 points in the second half for the Hawks.

With the win the Bobcats (20-8, 14-3), 12-0 at home, remained on the heels of Robert Morris in their quest gain the top seed in the NEC Tournament.

The game got away from Monmouth late in the first half when the Bobcats went on a 13-3 run.

Quinnipiac junior forward Justin Rutty, a non-factor in Monmouth’s win over the Bobcats at the MAC in January, was too much for the Hawks to handle Thursday.

The junior forward scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Senior guard James Feldeine added 19 points for Quinnipiac which led by as many as 27 points in the second half.

“We played harder than we did down there,” Rutty said. “Going into this game we were thinking about getting payback on them. We showed it today.”

Rutty had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone. Quinnipiac used a 13-3 spurt en route to a 39-23 lead at the break.

Feldeine also had 13 first-half points for the Bobcats.

Despite Taylor’s output, Monmouth was outscored in the paint, 34-26.

The NEC Tournament begins Thursday on the home floors of the four highest-seeded teams. Monmouth will play on the road.

Notes

With nine points, Whitney Coleman (1,173 career points) passed Dejan Delic for 9th place on Monmouth’s Division I scoring list. Coleman took over first place in games played (125) from assistant coach Chris Kenny and Marques Alston. . . . In career blocks, Dutch Gaitley is one shy of 8th place Alex Blackwell (63).

From FDU web site –

The Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball team staged a 19-point comeback to defeat host Sacred Heart in overtime, 64-59, on Thursday evening in Fairfield, CT. The Knights (11-19, 10-7 Northeast Conference) staged a 19-point comeback after a sluggish first half, repeating the feat from earlier in the season (Jan. 2), when they defeated the Pioneers (13-15, 6-11 NEC) after being down 22 points.

Comments

About Tony Graham

Long time Asbury Park Press reporter of local high school and collegiate sports. Proud Phan of the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

27 Responses to MU men qualify for the NECs despite losing to Quinnipiac

OK, enough with the excuses. The talent on this team is over-rated by most here. Look, this is a bottom tier league and this team simply cannot compete night-in and night-out. I know Coach Calloway has won with better players, but isn’t that the point? He and his staff have a terrible track record bringing in even decent players. Next year? What makes anyone think the better teams in this league won’t retool and stay a step ahead of this wretched program?

And just to put a little icing on this rancid cake, both SFNY and CCSU winners tonight. Last one in the gym put out the lights.

Game Day – They made the NECs….true it’s not the NCAAs….but for this year, minus TT for seven games, it’s good enough for me..he’s not getting fired with one year left on his contract…my opinion of course. Were they awful tonight? Yes.

This isn’t Friday Night Lights.Every time we lose the calls for coaching change come out. When we win they go away.
They made the playoffs and if TT wasn’t suspended would be hosting a playoff game.
There were some clunkers but there were also some nice, bright spots.
No doubt next year will be a telling year. I think it will be a major breakthrough and MU will be back on top.
Every school goes through it’s highs and lows and MU is just working it’s way up from the lows.
Look at UNC this year and Pitino is down. You could make the same arguments that they should never be down because of their beautiful arenas and desirable programs.
Give these guys a break. They are working hard and next year we will see how they rise again along with the pressure.

There are some High School teams in this country he could get into the NEC’s, lets not act like thats some sort of feat. Again, we back in. Get used to it folks, DC is not going anywhere. Our perenial >300 RPI is good enough for this administration.

REV-I agree. The fact that MU had to back into the NECs is pathethic. This team is weak and they showed it last night by getting destroyed by QPAC. They were lucky to get into the playoffs and they will get pummeled in the first round by Robert Morris and QPAC again. If Dave is such a good coach then how come his team failed to show up last night in such a crucial game? This team played no defense last night and could not rebound to save their lives. From my perspective, qualifying as an 8th seed and losing in the first round does not constiute a successful season in the NEC. It’s not like we’re playing in the Big East here. As Coach Parcells’ said, “You are what your says you are”. With that said, MUs record has not been good the last 4 seasons.

How about passing out brown paper bags for Saturday Night Game . I can’t belive the President is going to look the other way for one more year . The leadership is not there , to many games where the team ” No Shows ” . LIU lost its two top players for the whole season , they are in the top 4 , and their coach should be the COACH OF THE YEAR in the NEC . RPI <300 four years in a row , EMPTY MAC , half the squad made up of D-2 players . Well Tony if your happy with Calloways performance its a sad day in sports . Fans like winners .

TFC – Am I happy?….hardly. But it’s not my job really to be happy or sad. Just objective. So, objectively and without letting emotion be a factor in my comments, I just don’t see why a change now with one year left on Dave’s contract.

That probably doesn’t make sense – especially financially for MU , though I am not the book keeper either.

I think they should have a good to very good team next season ..and that a winning year inhthe NEC and at least a top four finish in the league would be a requirment. If that doesn’t happen, then there probably should be a change.

They have improved upon last year’s win total though certainly not as much as one would have hoped for.

But now it is time for the next surge upward, no question about that.

I also don’t for one minute think this is a paper bag over your head type team. They don’t deserve that in my opinion. If you’re mad at the coach…fine. e-mail him, the administration, blog about him, whatever. But taking it out on the kids – who have won 12 games – would in my opinion – be total bush league and inexcusable…

Tony- Sounds like Dave will be back to finish out the his contract. Cleary that doesn’t make a lot of alumni very happy to say the least. My question is if, (and of course this is speculation) the hammer did fall on Dave, where would we look for our next coach? Would we target a lead assistant at a high D1 program or would we go with a coach with D1 head coaching experience at a low mid major?

Being a biased alum, I would love to think of this as a very attractive job.

Can you explain the issues of night’s game for us? Was there truly a lack of effort? What was thre reason for Will not playing his usual amount of time? Did he sit the entire first half?

Many comments from last nights “chat” were really and surprisingly negative and from heretofore “positve posters”. Wasn’t the team ready? No motivation? Strange personnel changes? What went on up there? Obviously the score says a great deal but not to be ready for such an important game is unfathomable!

Someone earlier asked your for your opinion on the “ideal seed”. Based upon the way they’re playing there really isn’t such a seed is there? Based upon how they played at Bryant you can’t even joke about that being the “ideal seed”.

To compare MU and it staff to UNC & Louisville is really stretching things beyond reality! That’s like comparing Nordstroms to Dollar Stores.

Not sure just how attractive the position is since you’re not talking “big bucks” here are we? What’s that old saying, “you get what you pay for”. What kind of decent D1 head coach would want to come to MU for say $125K. There’s shoe deals that are bigger than the MU salary.

When the change comes (probably next year), my money is on the selection of an experienced assistant D1 coach from a medium to large program.

Tony , why dont you interview the AD and President and report your objective findings so we hear it from the source ,rather then from the bloggers some who think Calloway has done an outstanding job and some that think he should be shown the door .

I find it hard to believe some still see this as a “glass half full” scenario. Yes, anybody can go through a down cycle for a season or 2, but 4 years? Four years is forever in college ball – the entire roster turns over – and this team still stinks. The “TT cost us the season” argument is in fact an indictment of the program: ZERO depth. Heck, not even 5 solid starters. And let’s not forget, the NEC is a very weak conference. You can bet that these big time programs wouldn’t put up with a 4-year down cycle.

What happened last night was a methodical beat-down with an all too obvious script – pound the ball inside, get 2 quickies on TT and then cruise control to an easy win. Phil Wait better be the second coming of Kevin Owens if this is going to change next year, and in the Big East he was totally out of his depth (sound familiar?). Sorry, but put me in the glass is half empty and still leaking camp.

Another 1st half non-compete blowout! How can anyone excuse so many of these things? They come with such regularity (especially on the road).

I do, however, think Calloway stays next year — purely because of financial reasons with his contract. But it’s still no ‘definite’ — don’t forget what happened to Tom Green last year at FDU!

One other thing I want to point out — IF this staff is deserving of all the criticism it’s getting (I think they are) & IF next season’s recruits turn out to be the real thing (finally) doesn’t keeping the staff only mask the problem? Don’t any of this regime’s supporters believe we’ll spin downward again in another couple of years (as has been the track record for so long now)? So keeping the status quo would only perpetuate the mediocrity, no?

And now that the season is ending isn’t it time to now start worrying if Ed Waite will return?

As for Saturday’s meaningless game vs. Sacred Heart — look for a new low in attendance at the MAC!

I’m not bent out of shape about losing to Quinnipiac, since my belief since the start of conference play has been that they’re the team best equipped to win the NEC. That being said, it would’ve been nice to make a game of it.

As far as the coaching situation goes, while financially it might make sense for Calloway to finish out his contract, I still think it’s a dangerous move if the administration has any desire to move in another direction once his deal is up. If they have a good year next year, most likely on the back of Travis Taylor, they’re almost forced to give Dave a new deal when he has clearly done very little since last re-upping to warrant one.

Comparing his situation to coaches that last year reached the Elite Eight and won a national championship is asinine. They’re having down years — Louisville still might make the tournament — while we’ve been down since Dave got his last contract, including the year after we put a scare into Villanova and brought back most of the team to make another run, then proceeded to miss the conference tournament entirely. I think if you asked Roy Williams to run last year back without, say, Ty Lawson and Marcus Ginyard, that UNC might just be in the top eight in the ACC. But any comparison of NEC hoops to ACC or Big East programs is laughable until further notice. Tom Green is probably a much more valid comparison, though I don’t believe Dave has any shady Vetrone types lurking on his staff.

Seriously, I know people think im nothing but negative, but again, I love MU basketball. All I want for them is to win.

My only arguement about next year is this….what is going to be so different? We’ll obviously have the best player in the NEC and what should be an improved Ed Waite. Beyond that, the rest is an unknown. Do we automatically consider Ware and Wait to be game changers? Ware will have no NCAA experience and Wait hasnt played in 2 years(and how good is he?). Throw in an inconsistant Sofman and a non scoring PG, and I just dont know what’s going to be so different about next year. I hope they are much better, but people talk like we’re going to be the team to beat next year. I’m just very cautious after hearing the next year talk for the last 3 years.

..I don’t know why Will sat for so long…never got the chance to ask Dave after the game I was in such a rush..but usually when a player sits its because of defense…then again..without TT on the floor.. they need all the offense they can get..

I don’t buy the team not being ready and no motivation and all that stuff..they were flat out crushed by a better team that didn’t play nearly that well in its visit to the MAC….conversely MU played much better that night …remember Rutty was in foul trouble that first game..take him away from Qpac and they are a different team as MU is without TT though they have better overall talent in my opinion.

In my view there is no “”idea’l seed” for MU to face..among the top three..Maybe RMU ..just a feeling ….though I would be far from predictiing an MU win …Vs. LIU they can’t stop Wisseh and the Mount is too long, too deep, and too athletic – in my opinion

Again last night when TT was out for a while MU began to falter and even when he came back the game was getting out of hand…

I agree if there is a change – an experienced assistant from a medium to large program might be the profile..though you never know..also..I think if Dave has a good year next year – and he may well – he gets rehired for another five…

HC – I did pick Q pac to win the NEC and they’re right there of course….but many of my other picks went haywire though injuries (at CCSU) and TT’s suspension threw the CCSU and MU picks out of whack..I’ll review my picks..for better and or for worse…next week..

I don’t know if MU will be the “‘team to beat” next year..but if they don’t at least make the top four then I am no judge of talent (maybe I’m not!) but more importantly Dave’s critics may get their wish…Marcus Ware and I have said this all season..looks impressive, strong, athletic, nice shooting ability while TT will be a Player of the Year candidate…

..The bottom line there is – The front line will have size, depth, and be fairly athletic. I’ll stack it up with Q` Pac’s or any front court in the NEC

But I have thought about the back court , too, and I am not sold on it…Hett is well, Hett…again he needs to be a little more of a scoring threat as Azzarerlli was his senior year..can James do that?.””.I dont know.

Will The Thrill – explosive but erratic..Sofman..and it pains me to say this – has been a disappointment…at least for me. I would have liked to have seen more consistency….he needs to develop a move or two off the dribble..but what really has me confounded is the amount of open shot’s he’s been missing the second half of the year…It’ll be interesting to see what they get from the freshman PG Jordan Davis..another concern is the lack of size among the guards, especially defensively on the perimeter…….

One more thing: In my view MU HAS to change its approach next year to back when Calloway played with Alex Blackwell..this will not be a team built to run…EMPHASIZE pounding the ball inside to your superior big men..play high-low, Phil Wait can hit the medium range J…slow down the pace..make the other team play defense …they will have to place their big man on Wait leaving TT with a smaller forward..MU may see a lot of zone so the guards have to make shots….Defensively get your better athletes to the corners..keep Phil Wait near the basket …

Remember Bob Lampinen? He did the SCT game Colts Neck vs Vianney on Varsity TV. Great to hear his voice again! With all the criticism of the MX play by play folks, wouldn’t it be great to have him behind the mike for the MU games? Just a thought.

Looking at your poll regarding who may be the best team for MU to face. I really can’t pick any of the three. Personally, I don’t think they match up well enough against any of them to have a chance to win.

I agree with JFLAN. MU does not have a chance against any of the three teams. We have a weak bench that can’t score points and we can’t defend against QPAC or Robert Morris. Also, LIU has had our number the past couple of seasons.

About this Blog

Josh Newman on Monmouth University and local college athletics

About the Author

Josh NewmanJosh Newman has worked for the Press since September 2004, covering a variety of high school beats in addition to college sports and the New York Jets. A 2004 graduate of Springfield College, he is currently the beat reporter for Monmouth University.E-mail Josh

Sherlon ChristieSherlon Christie is a sports reporter at the Asbury Park Press. He joined the Press in the fall of 2004. He grew up in Massachusetts and has a BA in journalism from Northeastern University's School of Journalism. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.E-mail Sherlon

Steve EdelsonSteve Edelson has been covering the area sports scene for more than 25 years. And while he has chronicled the accomplishments of many athletes, he's still patiently waiting for his first hole-in-one.E-mail Steve

Follow Me

Polls

How I feel about the departures of Dion Nesmith and Marcus Ware

A good move, King Rice needs to look to the future with younger players who are :"his" recruits (57%, 67 Votes)

Not a good move, they would have been fifth year seniors who may have helped significantly (31%, 36 Votes)